Last summer, I had the chance to see many of the shows that were participating in the 10th annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. There were many intriguing selections, not all of which I had the chance to see, unfortunately. Among such shows which I had been hoping to see, at the time, was Girl Inside the Mirror, a new theatre-dance piece from writer/director Nicoletta Mandriotti. Thankfully, however, I recently had the chance to see it during its second run at Theater for the New City – as part of their annual Dream Up festival – upon being invited to review the show.
Read More
There’s a lot of impressive history behind the Duplex Cabaret Theatre. I remember when I first went there to see a friend perform in her own show this past summer, and seeing and hearing about all the past legends – from Joan Rivers to Woody Allen – spent their early careers in this legendary venue. Of course, like any venue that has so many guest performers, it’s fair to assume that for all the good performers, there are also the bad ones. Every so often, however, there are also the performers who aren’t bad, but aren’t phenomenal, either, which is what I was treated to this past weekend.
Read More
Last month, I had the opportunity of seeing All the Kings Horses, a relatively short but brilliant drama at Shetler Studios’ Bridge Theatre which revolved around the highly important issue of domestic violence. It was just the most recent work from the prolific writer/director Pamela Scott, who is clearly keeping busy this summer, as she immediately followed it up with the return of a previously produced, critically acclaimed one-act, now playing at the Hudson Guild Theatre as part of the New York Theatre Festival’s 2018 NYSummerfest.
Read More
In recent years, an increasing trend I’ve noticed in independent theatre is one of artists taking the short stories of legendary writers from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and adapting them for the stage, in the hopes of re-introducing these stories to new generations. Some of these adaptations have generally been more impressive than others. However, In the Penal Colony – based on the short story by Franz Kafka of the same name – certainly stands out, in that goes further than other such works, in terms of how creative they are with the way they depict the story.
Read More
When you think about it, we’re not all that different as human beings. We love, we argue, we solve problems, we grow and evolve, we may feel jealous occasionally, the list goes on and on. For anyone reading this review, I have a hard time believing how that would be a disagreeable assessment of the human race. Less certain, however, is whether these feelings are also felt universally among insects, such as larvae and butterflies. Yet in the new play Larvae, the clear and definitive answer is “yes”.
Read More
Whenever I see a play promote itself as a “serious comedy”, I admit that my gut reaction is almost always half enthusiastic and half skeptical. Enthusiastic because I love plays that make me think about serious issues just as much as I love a good laugh, but skeptical because of how challenging it can be to pull off the perfect balance of being hysterical without being too serious, and vice versa. As I was watching the so-called “serious comedy” Suicidal Life Coach, one of several new plays being presented at the Hudson Guild Theatre this summer, I was reminded of why this is how I often react that way.
Read More
For the past few years, there’s been an ongoing debate throughout the United States and Europe over whether or not to accept refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern nations in turmoil, and if so, how many. Often, those who support either barring or limiting the welcoming of these refugees cite the need to put the care of their home nations first and foremost, above all others. However, when watching a show such as HAK – a new one-act drama from Berkay Ates, which recently completed its residency at HB Studio – it’s only harder to see how anyone could argue that failing to care for refugees is anything but terrible for humanity.
Read More
In 2016, a small theatre company in New York made waves when they presented an all-female production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest in Central Park and Prospect Park. For the most part, the attention it received had little to do with it being an outdoor performance, or even that it was an all-female cast. Rather, it was because the entire cast performed the show sans clothing. The following summer in 2017, Torn Out Theater would return with an all-male production of Hamlet, also performed outdoors and in the nude. This year, however, the company decided to take things in a slightly different direction, with a mixed-cast nude performance of a play by history’s first recorded professional playwright.
Read More
Mental health and suicide prevention are issues of vital importance, and I’ve long believed that artists in theatre needed to do more to explore these issues, and to fuel a conversation around them. So naturally, as I was reading about Bryan Williams’ new musical Alex and Eugene, I had high hopes and high expectations. Unfortunately, while not a terrible show, much was left to be desired.
Read More
One can only imagine how hard it would be to enter into the Witness Protection Program. Having to leave behind your old life, your true identity, your family, and anything else that may have been part of your past. The pain is only made worse, if the person with whom you’re stuck in the program with is a lifelong criminal and a domestic abuser. That’s exactly what we see with our own eyes in All the King’s Horses, a short but potent drama from award-winning playwright Pamela Scott playing at the Bridge Theatre at Shetler Studios.
Read More
It’s basically an open secret that the NYC club scene can be a very gritty and intense world. It’s arguably like the rest of this city, in that it can be full of fun, but also full of danger and risk. If you’ve never been to a club like the one I’m describing, then perhaps the next closest thing to knowing what it’s like to be there, in the middle of the action, is seeing Death of a Bottle Girl, the brand new autobiographical solo show from Sydnee Washington.
Read More
Most statistics show that the vast majority of marriages today end in divorce. While many kids with divorced parents ultimately grow up to become very happy and successful adults, the fact of the matter is that it still isn’t a pleasant experience, while growing up. So what do you do about it? Make a few jokes about it, of course! At least, that seems to be one of the lessons from Serpent’s Tooth, an event of various featured storytellers – revolving around the theme of memorable awkward events, when they were younger - on the last night of The Tank’s highly successful Speak Up, Rise Up festival.
Read More
The revival of Grammy-Award-Winning “Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller,” having headed south from its recent engagement at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, has landed at Stage 42 in New York City to positive notices from the press – including this one! Forty iconic Leiber and Stoller hits in ninety minutes would be glorious enough, but hearing those songs delivered by a cast of nine extraordinary singers and dancers backed by a powerhouse eight-member band is an experienced not to be missed. “Smokey Joe’s Café” currently running at Stage 42 delivers more that might expect from any musical revue.
Read More
It’s a very familiar feeling, which I’m sure we’ve all had before: Whether it was a party, a wedding, a meeting, etc., we’ve all been to events before where we felt compelled to go to, but were desperate to find a way out of. Whatever the reason may be, from anxiety to awkwardness to simple boredom, we’ve all been there before. That much is clear, given the overwhelming reaction last week to I’m Choking (and other excuses to leave a party) by Josh Johnson, one of many outings recently presented at The Tank’s Speak Up, Rose Up storytelling festival.
Read More
Have you ever wished that you could just take something, and you’d be cool instantly?
No? You probably thought junior high was fun, too, I’ll bet. So, for those of you who remember the teen years as something resembling medieval torture, you know what I’m talking about. Those times where everything you said and did rendered you eating your lunch alone… again.
Read More
It is difficult to separate “Be More Chill,” currently running The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, from the hype surrounding what has become a teenage cult musical since its 2015 run at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. This hype has been heightened by a cast recording and an extensive marketing campaign. What is this musical about and how successful is its current incarnation?
Read More
Porn.
Just the word alone invokes something dirty, kinky, and raunchy. Naturally, when hearing about a place such as a porn video store – back in the late-90s, when video stores were still a thing – one might think exactly how dirty could such a place potentially be, if they’ve never been inside one. Yet one new solo show which recently played at The Tank as part of the Speak Up, Rise Up festival this past week – Don’t Reach in the Bag – is here to show a more human side to the reality of what it’s like to work in such an environment.
Read More
While not without its flaws, this play does a very fine job, in terms of exploring issues that are highly relevant, and for some theatergoers, perhaps all too relatable. It is bound to be a thought-provoking experience, and the climactic scenes are particularly potent moments that are impossible to keep your eye off of. Consider seeing it during its last few performances this week, and decide for yourself how successful it is at portraying these issues.
Read More
According to statistics, a majority of millennial women have, at some point or another in their lives, received an unsolicited picture of someone’s penis on their phone. It was the frequency of the sending of these pictures, along with the narcissistic misogyny of the men who send them, which inspired "I Didn't Ask For This: A Lifetime of Dick Pics”, a 2016 art gallery filled with one woman’s over 200 unsolicited dick pics, which attracted a great deal of public attention, as one can easily imagine from such a concept. Each of these two realities – both the narcissism of the men sending this unwanted pictures, and the public’s never ending fascination with both the male and female genitalia – are well-reflected in Dick Pix, one of two new plays by Daniel McCoy currently playing at Theaterlab, which revolves around a somewhat similar gallery.
Read More